Gla1ve: "I won't be playing ESL Cologne", Reportedly Signed as Backup Along With Xyp9x

• Both gla1ve and Xyp9x are reportedly signed by Astralis as backup players for ESL One Cologne.
• Gla1ve announced that though he is looking forward to coming back he will not be playing ESL Cologne.
• No official statement has been made by Xyp9x on the matter yet.

Senior Astralis player Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander has announced that he will not be playing with the Danish organization in the upcoming ESL One: Cologne 2020 which is scheduled to take place later this month from 18^th - 30^th August.

The 25-year-old further went on to state that he is very much looking forward to coming back to playing CS:GO competitively, but it will be a step-by-step process and hence he will not be playing in the upcoming competition. 

Though absent from the team gla1ve is ready to do all he can to ensure that Astralis is the one who takes the trophy home. He went on to thank all those who have supported him through his long absence from the scene saying that “It truly means so much to me.”

[Also Read: Dev1ce Reveals When Gla1ve Will Return to the Astralis Lineup]

Gla1ve Will Not Play at ESL Cologne

Former in-game leader for Astralis gla1ve, who has been on a break from mid-May has expressed his desire to play CS:GO competitively once again, but the Dane does not want to rush anything and has decided to skip the action in Cologne starting later this month.

Earlier today reports from TV 2 Sport had suggested that both gla1ve and Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth will be returning to Astralis for the upcoming ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online - Europe. They stated that the two senior players who were on a recovery break had been signed as backup players by Astralis, filling the two vacant substitute player slots that have been allocated to competing teams.

[Also Read: Xyp9x Reveals why he took an Indefinite Break from Counter-Strike]

According to a statement given by Kasper Hvidt, Sports Director of Astralis Group to TV 2 SPORT he says that,

“It is normally Danny “zonic” Sørensen who is signed as the replacement player for Astralis. So, I was very happy when I suddenly had to submit the names of five players, a coach, and two substitutes.”

Note: The above statement has been slightly altered for brevity and clarity.

The two players might have been signed up as substitute players but this does not guarantee their participation in the tournament. While gla1ve has already clarified that he will not be seen in action no such statement has come forward from Xyp9x’s side who had recently revealed through an Instagram story that he had started playing Counter-Strike once again.

Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz in late June had revealed that gla1ve will be making a return to Astralis in August. It seems that his prediction was right as gla1ve has certainly returned to the lineup with him being reportedly signed as a substitute player for Astralis.

It will be interesting to see how the Danish lineup performs in this tournament with both Patrick "es3tag" Hansen and Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen playing their very first tournament with Astralis.